“I’d really like that,” I say.
Although I’ve read about her in the paper, I really don’t know much about her. Brooks has kept her virtually under wraps, with little tidbits about her here and there.
“So,” she says, “Brooks told me how you all met.”
I freeze, my eyes widening as I look up at her, then over to him, then back to her. Shit. Does she meanactually? Or just apublic version of it? I feel nervous now, unsure of how much she’s been let in on. But she smiles, leaning forward and putting her hand on mine. “Honey, I think what you are doing is so admirable. I wish I could say I was surprised when you wrote to the boys about what their father had been doing. As much disdain as I have for the man, I would love for it to not have been true to spare my Brooks. He’s dealt with so much from him.”
I swallow and nod.
So she knows everything.
“Well, it sounds like you have too, Ella,” I say. She smiles and rubs my hand.
“As women, we can’t let the shit actions of the shit men in our lives define us, you know? And it’s true, sometimes we have to rise above.” But then, she leans in to me, as if to tell me a secret. “But other times, we have to play dirty in order to beat them at their own sick games.”
I smile and nod, slowly taking a sip of my drink. I have so many questions for her, but I’m trying to be respectful. This isn’t an interview. This is my boyfr—well, whatever Brooks is to me…this is his mother.
“He did it to me, you know,” she says after a brief pause. She lifts her eyes to me slowly. No. Is she saying what I think she’s saying? A sad smile crosses her lips. “When we first met. I was so young. I had no money. I was so naive. And then this beautiful, charming, powerful man came crashing into my life and made me feel like I was everything he was looking for. So he’d parade me around. He’d force me on dates with his friends…until he decided that he liked me enough to keep me for himself—at least for a little while.” She pauses, and I reach out instinctively and cover her hand with mine. “I hurt a lot of people when I said yes to him, including myself. And I will never regret it because, in the end, I got the greatest gift I never knew I needed,” she says, looking over at Brooks. “What you’re doing is so brave. So noble.But it’s also dangerous, honey. There is no end to the power and resources that Cato Everett has. So, if you feel like you need to stop before you get too far in, you can. You still have options. Options I didn’t know I had.”
Wait a minute…
I smile.
“Did Brooks put you up to this?” I ask. She looks over at him with so much love in her eyes I feel like she might burst.
“He asked me to talk to you,” she says. “He’s right, honey. It’s scary. But if you press on, just know you have such a strong team behind you. Mostly him.” She looks back at me. “He really likes you, Wren. I have never met a single girl in his life until right now. He’s worried for you. And I am too. He hasn’t had very many people in his life that he can trust. Selfishly, I don’t want him losing someone who is important to him. Just make sure whatever decision you make, it’s for you.”
I smile.
“I will, Ella,” I say. “But I’ll also be making it for women like you.” We finish eating and go rejoin the boys in the seats.
All of a sudden, there are only twenty-eight seconds left in the game, and the Empire is down by one touchdown.The quarterback gets the ball and fakes it to the running back on a play-fake. Then, he throws the ball deep to Jerome in the back corner of the end zone.
The stadium is going ballistic.
Down by one.
The Empire lines up for a two-point conversion.
Jerome moves behind the line in motion, and the quarterback hands him the ball.
In a few beautifully executed steps, he scores.
The crowd—and Cole—are going absolutely wild. Even with the suite windows shut, we can hear the roar from beneath us, people chanting Jerome’s name, his teammates dogpiling on topof him in the end zone. Brooks is on his feet, shouting and pumping his fists into the air. Ella is standing up and whooping. He leans over and snatches Cole off the ground, hoisting him into the air and spinning him in circles. They run around the suite like crazy people, and I can’t stop laughing. Cole has had a hard life these last few years. And as wonderful as my dad is, he doesn’t get a lot of quality time with him because he has to work so much. So seeing Cole with Brooks is doing something to me, shaking me up in the best way.
They come back to me, and before I realize what’s happening, Brooks wraps me up in a hug, swirls me around, and then throws me over his shoulder like a rag doll. He spins me around and around until I can no longer see straight. Then, when he finally sets me down, he makes sure Cole’s not watching and sneaks me a quick kiss.
Cole comes down from his high, plopping onto the big leather couch that sits at the back of the suite. Ella says her goodbyes and heads out as the three of us are cooling down from our celebration.
“That was amazing. I don’t want to leave,” he says. I laugh, and Brooks plops down next to him.
“Well, good. Because stadium traffic sucks, so I figured we would hang here for a little while.”
“Really?” Cole asks excitedly. Brooks nods.
“Of course. Help yourself to some more food. You can people-watch out the window, or that TV over there gets cable.”
“Sweet!” Cole says as he rushes by us.
